This invention relates generally to medical imaging systems. In particular, the present invention relates to method and apparatus for defining a region of interest in a medical image.
Various methods are available for drawing the contour of an object, within a medical image. For example, the object may be a fetus, organ, cyst, or tumor which the user is interested in further analyzing. The area enclosed by the contour represents the “region of interest” (ROI) of the image. Typically the user is uninterested in the other features shown on the image and selecting a ROI allows the user to concentrate the processor power of the system on the part of the image which is of most interest to the user.
Problems exist with the current methods for selecting the border segments of a ROI. For example, one method is to employ known shapes, such as rectangles, circles and ovals, then require the user to drag the contour of the shape to the desired location around the object. Still another method has the user draw the contour of the object using a mouse or various keyboard keys, which can be quite time consuming, with accuracy being affected by the display size and resolution, and the minimum distance the user may move the cursor on the display. Also, working with 3D images adds an additional element of complexity.
Thus, a method is desired to obtain the border segments of a ROI within an image that addresses the problems noted above and others previously experienced.